As Long As You Say Goodbye
by Princess-Of-Stuff
Summary: Some un-linked one-shots about how you should always say goodbye. For the '50 Ways to Say Goodbye' challenge by teddylupin-snape. Rated T just in case. There may be a splash of romance in this too, so get out your tissues!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: ****Hey there! This is for a challenge by teddylupin-snape called '50 Ways to Say Goodbye', and this is my own interpretation of it. I've never read the HP books (sorry! I've watched the films, but the books didn't do much for me) so I'm not really sure if much happened with Lily and James and Harry, but this is kind of my version of what happened. Bear with me, please! :D Yeah, btw, this is like, a platonic LilyxHarry :D**

A loud thunderous crash, followed by the howling of some unknown – and probably dangerous – creature, was the first thing that alerted Harry that something was wrong. His innocent eyes searched the room for some comfort, preferably from his loving mother or adventurous father, but he couldn't find either one of them. When he heard the second crash he started to wail; quietly, though, because this could all be a dream – or a nightmare – and he didn't want to be eaten by a murderous frog again.

The first voice he heard was probably his dad's, although it was mingled with some other cold voice that was layered with malice. He was too young to interpret what they were saying, but he did hear words that sounded unmistakably like "Harry" which was his name. He gurgled happily at that, because at least they hadn't forgotten him.

His mother came in, after that, and she took him out of his rickety wooden crib when he outstretched his arms to her. "Shush." She told him, which he understood, and so he lay contently in her arms until there was another crash which startled not only him, but the red-headed woman carrying him, too.

"Lily!" Her voice was yelled out in panic, and she screeched back that she was with their darling baby boy and that they were going to be safe, weren't they? She didn't hear a response and so she chewed her lip anxiously before walking towards the door. "Lily…" Harry heard again, and this time he scrunched up his hands because he didn't like this secretiveness and he wanted to know what was happening as well.

"I'm coming." She said quietly, and Harry recognised those words because she had uttered them before, whenever he wanted to be hugged or have his nappy changed. But this was different, and he realised that, so he didn't move or say anything because he didn't want to upset this seemingly fragile woman.

She walked past the cerulean door despite the protests, and she stopped in devastation as her eyes took in the scene. Harry couldn't see, and so his sobs picked up again, almost like a routine; she hold a hand over his eyes and ran back into his room, the familiarity failing to calm either of them. "Daddy." He told her solemnly. He tried to explain how he wanted his Dad to be with them, but he couldn't find the words; however, just that single word set her off and her tears trickled down her freckled checks like a waterfall. "Mummy." He nodded furiously. His limited vocabulary infuriated him, and he shook his tiny fist in the air in anger.

Then, he heard a hissing sound, and his fist slowly withdrew from the air in silence. Her tears evaporated, and she screamed; terrified of this man the crept into the room like a sordid snake. She screamed at him, frustration lacing her words like a thread through a needle, and she went to grab her willow wand but couldn't find it in her jean pocket. Frantically she searched again, and she fell to the floor when she couldn't locate it.

The man, whose head was bald and whose face was manic with wonder, cackled with laughter that seemed to detect her defeat with ease. He muttered some words, and his Mum – his protective, caring mother – whispered to Harry, "I love you, Harry. Your godfather, Sirius, will look after you, okay?" Sobs wracked her body, making her shudder with sadness. "I love you, and your daddy loves you, and…" Her eyes grew wide, and Harry watched, transfixed, as she let out a whimper of the immense pain she was having induced upon her. Her tears drew sparse, and her eyes went lifeless, and the arms that were shielding Harry suddenly went limp.

Harry grew worried. "Mummy?" He asked, his head turning to view her fully. His eyes grew afraid and he started to show it; he poked her gently with his frail finger, and nudged her with his knee, but she didn't move, and he started to bawl. "Mummy!" He cried out, his hand latching onto hers unconsciously. "Mummy…" He trailed off, realising that she wasn't going to reply.

"Goodbye?" He questioned, because maybe she was just going to work like she did every day, and maybe she would respond if he said that. But she didn't, and he said it again, because maybe he didn't hear him. "Goodbye?" He kept repeating, so sure of himself that she just couldn't hear him, until suddenly he realised that she _wasn't _going to say it back, and it wasn't that she _couldn't_, it was that she was _incapable._

"Goodbye." He whispered, kissing her on the cheek like she used to do so lovingly to him. "Goodbye?" He turned to the other man who had done _something _to his mummy. "Goodbye." He stated defiantly, pointing at the front door angrily.

"Oh, Harry, until you're gone, there is no goodbye."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: ****Hi there! It's me again :D This is the second chapter of 'As Long As You Say Goodbye', and to be honest, it was only when someone PMed me saying "oh, you know, blah blah blah, the title sounds a lot like that Justin Bieber song" and I was just like, OMG HOW. I mean, I love the Biebs, he's amazing, I honestly 3 him, but I didn't even mean to do that. It was totally unintentional :3 Anyway, this one is a break-up kind of goodbye, so I hope you like it…**

**Disclaimer: I didn't do this for the first one (I think) so here goes… I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER.**

**Kay? :3 **

**This time, I had prompts, because I was stuck. But I chose the couple, don't worry. So here are my prompts: **_**Hourglass, sunrise, dandelions, precision, ray. **_**And yes, I may or may not have just copied&pasted that in, which is why it's extremely large compared to the rest, but it wasn't until I saw the 'dandelions' that I thought "oh! Idea forming!" but not everything is set out yet… But then again, it usually isn't when I write. Actually, it never is. **

**Well, I've just realised that, at over 200 words, this could probably become a novel, so I bid you farewell as we start this one-shot :D**

**ENJOY!**

"I just don't think we're working."

As soon as those awful words escaped his mouth, Ginny tried to remember when she first knew it was going to happen.

Was it on their first date, when _she _had surprised him with a picnic basket and the promise of a day in the park? She remembered the sway of the dandelions as the cool breeze hit their arms, and his boyish smirk that she had thought was so cool at the time. They didn't do much talking about her, really, as it mostly about him and whatever adventure he was up to this time.

But then, no, it wasn't then, because she had still been charmed by his mysterious ways and his great snogging ability.

So maybe it was their third date, when all he wanted to do was kiss? Ginny knew that he was a teenage boy with hormones, and she tried to fulfil his needs the best she could; but she was still younger than him, and he just _didn't _realise that. So his wandering hands had to be sat on, and she had sat there, resistant to all his begging. She'd remembered that a lot, because it was a time when she was still defiant; it wasn't something she did much nowadays.

Oh! Her sixth date, though, when he had _finally _been bothered to ask her on a date (instead of the other way around!) and he'd taken her to a remote beach where the sand was white and the sky looked tropical and summery. They had sat there, relaxing and basking in the rays of the light that appeared from the looming sunrise, but they didn't do much talking - or even snogging, if she thought about it hard enough.

But he hadn't seemed at all distant, if maybe a little more withdrawn than usual; Ginny had just thought that well, everyone had their secrets, right? She had hers, certainly; the little 'fling' with Dean that she had told no one about, the incident with the Amortentia when she had smelt something that was _not _anything like Harry – but then who didn't have a few secrets now and then?

So it must have been when they spent that afternoon in the library, or at least that's what Ginny had decided. She thought that the way even the seconds seemed to drip by slowly, as if someone was playing with an hourglass and had added an unlimited supply of sand into the fragile glass container.

Because that's what time was, really. Fragile glass. And that's why they weren't compatible; Ginny wanted a committed relationship, and Harry couldn't give her that. At any moment, he could die in his fight for dominance with Voldemort, and they both knew that Ginny couldn't handle the loss of a beloved.

So it wasn't either of their faults, really… It was simply the way it was meant to be. So when he said to her, "I just don't think we're working." She replied with:

"Goodbye."

It was short, it was sweet, it was simple; just like everything they had ever shared.

So it was fine.

"Goodbye." He had uttered back.

And then they both walked away.


End file.
